Pages

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Dairy Free Mango Pineapple Creamsicles

Now that we have settled in here in California, I'm getting back in the kitchen and restocking all of the homemade necessities we love... including popsicles. Yep, popsicles are definitely a necessity this time of year. Especially if you happen to be pregnant!

It's been incredibly hot here and we've been spending a lot of time in the water at the river or lake. We've also been cooling down with plenty of healthy popsicles.

There are so many reasons to make your own popsicles. Most importantly, you get to control the ingredients! Check out what's in the average popsicle at the grocery store: water, high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, strawberry juice (from concentrate), sugar, contains 1 percent or less of each of the following: malic acid, citric acid, guar gum, locust bean gum, red 40, artificial flavorObviously, I'm not about to let my kiddos eat these everyday. There are all kinds of things in them that I'm just not ok with. Even the ingredients in "natural" fruit pops aren't great: Mango, water, cane sugar, natural stabilizers (guar gum, carob bean gum, carrageenan), citric acidAt home it's much easier to make a nutritious fruit pop that I don't mind my kids eating every day (ok, sometimes twice a day). I get to use organic fruit and a little raw honey if needed, plus I can add veggies whenever I want!

I made these yummy popsicles since I was in the mood for something creamy. Since mangos and pineapple are both super sweet, there is no need for any additional sweetener in the fruit layer. I did add honey to the coconut milk to even out the sweetness of the fruit. You'll find it helpful to chill the coconut milk in this recipe. It will layer better the thicker it is. This recipe will make 4 4oz popsicles (or 2 cups) so adjust accordingly for your molds.

Loooove this recipe! We are such huge fans of mango. And I love making popsicles with coconut (makes are great creamsicle). I have a popsicle recipe that you might like (and your kiddos). It's a coconut milk based with spinach, avocado and lime juice...it's a like a key lime pie, but frozen and so creamy. My kid LOVE it!